Changes to Home and Community Services

May 17th, 2010

 

This session the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 842 which modifies provisions related to Home and Community-based services under MO HealthNet (formerly Missouri Medicaid).  I served on the conference committee that hammered out the final compromise on the House and Senate versions of the bill. 
 
Rapid growth of the costs of the program of home and community-based services and wide disparity among regions of the state had prompted the Department of Health and Senior Services to request the changes. I advocated strongly for the removal of the original language that would have placed a cap on the number of reimbursable hours of personal care, which as originally proposed would have left persons with disabilities without the basic services they need to remain in their own homes.  Although the state will contract with a third party to do the initial assessment of a person’s need for services, the final legislation does require that the initial assessment be done face-to-face. The changes in the program were not a cause for celebration, but I was pleased that the changes made were acceptable by the advocacy community. 
 
Acceptable changes to the legislation wouldn’t have been possible if not for the the advocacy of various groups around the state, including local advocates representing Rural Advocates for Independent Living (RAIL), Chariton Valley Association for Handicapped Citizens and Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities (MPCDD).  Due to their efforts, seniors and those with disabilities will have better health outcomes and improved quality of life.


Missed opportunity to restore health care at no cost to taxpayers

May 8th, 2010

Majority-backed proposal will do nothing to extend coverage

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –Rep. Rebecca McClanahan D-Kirksville opposed a budget bill that traded the certainty of restoring health care coverage to 35,000 Missourians at no cost to state taxpayers for the outside chance of possibly extending coverage to a few at taxpayer expense.

The 87-74 vote on a revised version of House Bill 11, which contains the budget for the Missouri Department of Social Services, came one day after the defeat of an earlier version that would have partially reversed the 2005 cuts that resulted in 180,000 fewer Missourians having access to health care coverage. 

“I am very disappointed in the actions of the House – this is a missed opportunity to restore healthcare to 35,000 Missourians without a single dime of state tax dollars,” said McClanahan.  “Even though the original proposal was only a small step, it was a step towards restoring the previous cuts and helping Missouri’s families.”

The rejected version of HB 11 failed on a 75-85 vote due to only minor bi-partisan support. That version would have increased the Medicaid eligibility threshold for adults to 50 percent of the federal poverty level from the current 20 percent. The plan would have cost Missouri taxpayers nothing as the Missouri Hospitals Association had agreed to pay the state’s share of increasing the eligibility threshold.  Traditional business groups also endorsed the proposal.

“The Department, health care advocates, and businesses joined together to support this proposal,” said McClanahan. “When those with lower incomes are not covered, we all pay more out out-of-pocket costs putting a strain on individual families and on businesses – this proposal was the right thing to do.” 

The restoration proposal enjoyed the support of Senate Republicans, the governor and Democrats in both chambers. It was also endorsed by traditionally Republican business groups. The rejected plan would have allowed parents in a family of four who earn $11,025 a year to qualify for coverage. Currently, those parents can earn no more than $4,410 a year to be eligible. For a single parent with two children, the eligibility cap would have increased to $9,155 a year from the current $3,700.


General Assembly Passes Autism Bill

May 7th, 2010

Today the General Assembly sent an autism bill to Governor Nixon’s desk which mandates that insurance companies extend coverage to children who experience “an illness of the nervous system, which includes Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Rett’s Disorder, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (as defined by the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association).” 

 
This legislation, House Bills 1311 & 1341, is widely expected to be signed by Governor Nixon.  I am thrilled that the General Assembly finally took action on this legislation to give families and individuals access to treatments that can make the difference. While this legislation has been a priority for my office since the beginning, it would have never been passed without the help of citizen-advocates.
 
As a mental health specialist, and a nurse for the past 30 years, I’ve seen that giving patients access to the treatments they need improves their lives dramatically.  Passing this legislation now helps ensure that more children will be able to receive the treatment they desperately need.
 
Look for more information in my next newsletter


$23.27 BILLION STATE BUDGET CLEARS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

April 29th, 2010

Speaking on Budget 2010 The General Assembly on April 29 sent a $23.27 billion state operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year to the governor to be signed into law. Although lawmakers cut $484.23 million in general revenue — $582.87 million overall – from the proposed budget Gov. Jay Nixon offered in January, it is expected that the governor will make additional reductions through his line-item veto or imposing spending restrictions.

The budget for FY 2011, which begins July 1, freezes basic state funding for local school districts at current levels but cuts state reimbursements for student transportation costs by 50 percent and makes other deep reductions to education programs beyond basic aid, such as the popular Parents as Teachers.  These cut to Parents as Teachers is particularly troubling because the program has demonstrated its effectiveness in helping to prepare young children for entry to school and in early identification of children that can benefit from additional services.

“The reality is all the cards aren’t on the table when it comes to balancing this budget,” said state Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield and the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. “The Missouri Constitution says that public schools are supposed to be the first priority after payment of the public debt. In reality, tax credits automatically are funded before education or the debt, regardless of whether the state can afford them. This budget does not make public schools a priority.”
 

The FY 2011 budget also reduces operating funds for public colleges and universities by 5.2 percent. In exchange for limited cuts the schools have agreed to freeze in-state tuition for the second consecutive year.
 
Compared to the FY 2010 budget lawmakers originally approved last year, the FY 2011 budget includes $407.6 million less in overall spending authority. Nixon, however, made substantial midyear cuts from what lawmakers approved. The FY 2011 budget also relies on savings from about two dozen different bills that have yet to clear the legislature.


Legislators honored as part of Graduate Education Week in Missouri

April 26th, 2010

 

The MU Graduate Professional Council celebrated Graduate Education Week in Missouri with a proclamation from Gov. Jay Nixon and a reception April 22 at the Bond Life Sciences Center honoring several lawmakers who have been supportive of higher education. Honorees included: Sen. Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), Sen. Yvonne Wilson (D-Kansas City), Rep. Gayle Kingery (R-Poplar Bluff), Rep. Sara Lampe (D-Springfield) and Rep. Rebecca McClanahan (D-Kirksville). Sarah Symonds, GPC president, and Jeff McMullan, GPC state issues coordinator, presented the awards.

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Honorees and officers present for the Graduate Professional Week Awards included (from left): Jeff McMullan, Sen. Kurt Schaefer, Rep. Rebecca McClahanan, Rep. Gayle Kingery, Rep. Sara Lampe, Yvonne Chamberlain (granddaughter of Senator Yvonne Wilson) and Sarah Symonds.


Veteran’s Appreciation Day

April 24th, 2010

Macon And Linn County Military Veterans attended “The Disabled American Veterans, 13th Annual Veterans Appreciation Day” April 23, 2010 at the Rieger Armory in Kirksville, hosted by Kirksville Disabled American Veterans, Chapter No. 48.  The event serves as an information seminar for area veterans.  Various veteran organizations set up booths with information on the services they provide. 

Event organizer Larry Daniels said, “It is also an educational opportunity.  There are 562,000 veterans in the state of Missouri we have estimated” Daniels said,  ”and right now, 45 percent do not receive their benefits and that figure may even be higher than that.”  Veterans and community members who attended the appreciation day activities also had the chance to listen to music and enjoy lunch.

Representative Rebecca McClanahan was on hand to present certificates to the World War II Veteran’s who had a chance to go on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C.  “These veterans and their families gave so much to all us in America,” said McClanahan, “and I am honored to be able to recognize them for their sacrifices.”


Hat and Shadow Day by Winning Woman

April 19th, 2010

Hat Day

April 14th was Winning Women’s Day at the Capitol. Winning Women is an organization aiming to bring the St. Louis region’s most successful women to contribute their time, talents and financial resources to make the region a better place to live and work.  In recognition of the day, all women legislators invite women from the St. Louis area to job shadow them for the day.  All the women participating in this event wore hats in honor of Winning Women’s Day. 
 

Hat Day 1My shadow for the day was Kathy Meath, the President and CEO of St. Louis Arc, a non-profit, United Way agency that provides support and services to more than 3,000 adults and children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Kathy currently serves as legislative chair for the ANCOR’s state chapter. I enjoyed talking to Kathy about current statues of legislation and the legislative process. Thanks to the  Winning Women Organization for arranging the reception, matching shadows for all of us and the great opportunity to meet such successful accomplished women.


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